‘Pitch ka kamaal tha Indian bowlers ka nahi tha’ – Fans react as Day 1 of Cape Town Test between India and South Africa witnesses 23 wickets falling

It was an incredible day of Test cricket at Cape Town. The first day of the second Test between India and South Africa witnessed a whopping 23 wickets falling. It was unbelievable to see so many wickets falling on a single day of a Test match. Two teams were dismissed in just over a session and another team’s 3 wickets have fallen so far in the match.

The day started on a brilliant note for India. Losing the toss was a blessing in disguise for the visiting side, as they got the ball to talk. Mohammed Siraj was the star of the day who registered his career-best spell of 6/15 in his 9 overs in the first innings. To assist him were the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar, who were equally brilliant with the ball.

South Africa was reduced to a score of just 55 runs in the first innings. It was the greatest-ever bowling performance of the Indian team in Test cricket. Every ball felt like an event. Replying to the home side’s score, India saw themselves in a good position at one point in the day. India were 153/4 and looked good to claim a sizeable lead before SA could bat again.

India’s collapse helps South Africa to be back in the game

What followed was highly unexpected. India lost their last 6 wickets for just 9 balls. The likes of KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah all fell to Lungi Ngidi in a matter of 5 balls. At the other end, Kagiso Rabada got the wickets of Virat and Siraj. It meant that India ended their first innings with a score of 153 runs. India got a handy lead of 98 runs in their first innings.

Trailing 98 runs in the first innings, SA got a decent start. The opening duo posted 37 runs for the first wicket and threatened to take the game away from India. that was when Mukesh dismissed both De Zorzi and Elgar. Bumrah got the wicket of Tristan Stubbs and gave a further lead to the Indian team. South Africa ended the day with a score of 62/3.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the play –